I’m about as late to the Five Centimeters Per Second party as its main character was to his destination in the first story, so we’ll spin this off into a fancy, deep, vaguely pretentious post.

Five Centimeters Per Second was one of those anime that personally had a hype level that surpassed nearly anything else I’ve heard of. Where as Haruhi was the god (and her anime too) of second-mainstream anime - all the shows a person would be likely to encounter after their initial shonen or CLAMP phase - 5cm was something praised as one of the most moving romantic works in a long time … or at least in as encapsulated a story as movies have to be.

I’m not inclined entirely to disagree, as I was definitely entranced by the story and the visuals (oh, the visuals), but it didn’t quite nail the perhaps implausibly high expectations I set for it.

It was a bit of a tear-jerker but not as much as I first believed, the characters bordered on that line between enrapturing and just plain cheesy, and, well, the ending.

The ending, and, to a lesser extent, the whole progression of 5cm was something that didn’t quite mesh. There were some ‘click’ moments, like when Takaki spoke of his search for a philosophy, but lacking a bit of one myself, his story overall was something that left me stirred, but not shaken. (James Bond would be dissapointed.)

At least during my viewing of it, anyway. After reconsidering and writing out this post, in final revisions I find myself to be quite tsundere, if I shall kick a dead horse, for shows in the vein of this and True Tears. There’s quite a disconnect between feelings from watching it, and feelings from analyzing it.

(Movie spoilers, and possible incoherence ahead.)
Maybe ‘rushed’ wasn’t the word but things just all came together so fast in the end. The ending montage especially with all the flashing of scenes so fast it took a bit to piece it all together. There was always that feeling of being a few steps behind the show, when random glasses girl would show up, or when Akari would suddenly have a ring, and so on.

This is one of those elements that, given a chance, probably is almost meant to happen, as it could symbolize the plight of the male lead, Takaki, who spends a lot of time dwelling on the past (Akari) and trying to cling on to old ideals. It’s a kind of direction to the show that shoves you into the feet of the main character and makes you feel the feelings he feels.

Unfortunately the feelings Takaki feels are often oh so very depressing as he is quite obviously a guy with not the best self-confidence. He is prone to monologues that are one part cheese, one part despair, and thankfully, one part touching.

I guess he grows by the end of the story - although he still hesitates so long at actions - but there a lot more of the ‘before’, and not a lot of the ‘after’, even for characters like Kanae as well.

The big thing that strikes me about 5cm is that it’s a movie that simple uncultured people like me will absolutely detest. On the surface I really would like to bite into this movie for having a weak main character, a straightforward plot, and not a lot of resolution.

But of course there is that feeling deep down that 5cm is definitely more than that, and any action it takes can be explained in a deeper, more profound way.

This frustrates me because of the paradox it creates between the somewhat shallow outer surface, i.e. “Damn it why couldn’t they stay together,” and the complex chocolatey center (where’s my Tokyo Marble Chocolate review when I need it?) of a work like this.

I enjoy being a naive person, and since I have fun viewing the world through rose-colored glasses I find happy endings to be nice and great. The problem with happy endings though is that they are frequently even cheesier than what came before it, and involve a lot of deux ex machina. They are the cotton candy, the fluffy fluff fluff that tastes good but won’t fill you up.

Meanwhile, the meaningful, complicated endings of anime like this, like brocolli, will leave you bitter and perhaps with an upset stomach but in the end are Good For You. Or so I’m told.

The thing about anime as opposed to what I’ve experienced of American fiction is that a lot of anime are willing to take this leap (at least of recent memory) to challenging viewer’s beliefs, to unsettling people, and to building overall character.

As much as we’d like to believe we’d be with our loved ones forever (friends, family, lover, etc), of course it’s an unrealistic belief. As much as we want to believe that confessing your feelings solves everything in a relationship, sometimes it’s better to just let them go. And sometimes, you just have to move on, period.

That’s why Takaki, despite our loudest cries, didn’t turn around to glimpse Akari faster, that’s why Kanae, despite being the underdog that everyone loves to see succeed, held it all in to herself, and that’s what 5cm tells us in a manner that can’t be quite called subtle and can’t quite be called blatant.

I’m sure you’ve already figured that out by now if you’ve watched this movie, and the question is just where to go from here. You’ll notice that this rant has gotten so out of hand that it’s taken to breaking the fourth wall, and perhaps that is something significant about the power of a movie like this.

More than what any post-apocalyptic horror movie can do, shows like this can rock a viewer’s soul (pardon the in-joke). They create that disconnect between idealism and realism that can form philosophies and beliefs. They go for the thought instead of the reaction, inspiring people to contemplate the anime’s events not just in terms of the show but in terms of their life.

Kaiji does it in between the intense mindgame action. True Tears pulls it off reasonably with the ending, and if you took the wrong alleigances in KimiKiss you might just learn a lesson or two. Five Centimeters Per Second is just the same in that you expect a sweet love story, and you get a sweet love story with a bittersweet ending.

It’s a strange love story. It focuses on the moment - there’s not the build-up to falling in love, nor is there a lot of epilogue after the metaphoric shots have been fired. There’s no confessions - rather, even Akari and Takaki in their happier days decide upon actions instead of words.

It’s one of those movies where it’s less about what the story gives to you, and more of what you take away from it. With three different stories there are three - if not more - different lessons to be learned. Whether those lessons really connect will prove the true power of this show.

Those less romantically inclined will go “Eh, he didn’t get the girl? That sucks,” and walk away. Those who enjoy their escapist stories - I’ll put myself in this category - will probably deny the message of this story. But for those in the throes of romance … oh, have this got something for you.

It’s very hard to turn your brain off and simply enjoy something like this, is what I can say. If you scroll a short way to the top here you will recall that I was kind of apathetic about 5cm, and now I find myself quite drawn to it and it’s almost creeping realism after mind-dumping my thoughts onto the page.

Luckily since this is just a 65-minute feature it’s something that will lend itself to rewatch, something that I definitely plan on - it’s not the shock value, the emotions drawn by the “unoptimal” ending that will make this great, it will be the underlying messages that it can send, that will draw your heart closer to a movie like this.

-CCY

(I feel very Owen-, or perhaps usagijen-ish after writing something like this. Apologies if it’s a bit more disconnected than usual - let me use being on vacation as an excuse.)

(I wonder, if I got a profound ending where I got things right for once, unlike True Tears, KimiKiss, and this, would I be satisfied. Oh, how awesome being shallow is.)

This post is tagged Analysis, Five Centimeters Per Second, Series Review